The Navy would get a new headquarters buildings in the proposed Manchester Pacific Gateway project at the downtown San Diego waterfront
/ Gensler architects

The California Coastal Commission unanimously adopted new findings Friday that say developer Doug Manchester's $1.3 billion redevelopment of downtown San Diego waterfront land owned by the Navy is inconsistent with state law.

The commission first acted at its November meeting in Oceanside and reconsidered its action this week to add one more finding -- that the project's design may not meet federal design rules to ensure against terrorism.

Mark Delaplaine, the commission's staff member responsible for the dealing with federal projects in the coastal zone, said the Navy and Manchester's attorney sent letters Thursday and Friday objecting to the commission's action but did not comment specifically on the revised findings.

There was no testimony at the commission meeting in San Francisco and Commission Vice Chairwoman Esther Sanchez, an Oceanside City Council member, said she approved of the staff wording on the terrorism issue.

Manchester's project manager, Perry Dealy, had earlier said the Defense Department endorsed the design, with its extra setback and provisions to withstand bomb blasts, for the planned Navy headquarters building included in the eight-block development.

Under a 99-year lease, Manchester is required to build the Navy a new building in exchange for development rights to the rest of the 16-acre site.

The commission had earlier dropped its legal action against the Navy and instead chose to challenge it through at a new look at the project's consistency with state coastal guidelines and development requirements.

The Navy has responded in writing that conditions and development plans have not substantially changed, as the commission claims, and thus a new consistency determination is unnecessary.

Delaplaine said he will send a formal notice to the Navy including the new findings and then talks will likely proceed to reach a compromise.

Suggested changes by the commission include redesigning or eliminating some of the buildings in the Manchester plan and reconfiguring the open space.